Celebrating teachers, advisors, researchers, Extension experts, and team members working at high levels of excellence, the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences held the 2026 Faculty and Staff Awards on Thursday, April 30, at Ensminger Pavilion.
Two WSU Extension teams and 13 individuals were recognized, including two recipients of the new Cashup Davis Family Endowed Dean’s Choice Excellence Award.
“Today’s ceremony honors faculty and staff members who are some of the best and brightest in CAHNRS,” said Raj Khosla, Cashup Davis Family Endowed Dean and event host. “My sincere thanks to all our award recipients for the impact they make every day.”
Award winners include:
Administrative Professional Staff Excellence Award: Angela Merrill
Since 2022, Merrill has served as administrative manager for the Department of Human Development. She oversees daily operations, administrative functions, and financial management, and works closely with the department chair on key initiatives, including promotions, tenure, annual reviews, recruitment, and long-term planning. A collaborator with deep institutional knowledge, she is dedicated to helping others succeed, and a valued partner and mentor.
Administrative Professional Technical Staff Excellence Award: Liesl Oeller
A WSU master’s graduate in entomology, Oeller became lab manager for the Crowder lab in the Department of Entomology as well as outreach coordinator for the WSU Decision Aid System in 2021. They are driven by the growth of the lab and work on editing manuscripts, managing and writing grants, and managing many lab projects. Oeller is also inspired by apple and potato growers and Extension scientists across the state who use DAS and has enjoyed working directly with stakeholders to coordinate workshops, offer tutorials, and improve the system. They have also served on many entomology committees and are passionate about strengthening the community of the department.
Classified Clerical/Fiscal Staff Excellence Award: Nina Willis
An administrative assistant in Biological Systems Engineering, Willis began in the department as a work-study clerical assistant. Now with the department for the past seven years, they officially accepted their position in 2022 after graduating from WSU with a bachelor’s degree in animal sciences. Willis covers personnel-related activities, such as hiring, renewals, payroll costing allocations, facilitating visiting scholar research visas, and more. With a keen eye for detail and a creative mindset, they pride themselves on their ability to efficiently solve problems and complete tasks.
CAHNRS For All Staff Excellence Award: Cassandra Groseclose
Since 2023, Groseclose has served as the maintenance custodian at the Puyallup Research and Extension Center. She supports daily operations of the campus by providing custodial and maintenance services, ensuring a safe, well-maintained, and welcoming environment for the entire PREC community. She also works closely with faculty, staff, researchers, students, administrators, and visiting groups, assisting with a wide range of facility needs that support research and public engagement activities. A lifelong native of Puyallup, Groseclose brings a strong sense of community pride and dedication.
Excellence in Advising Award: Rich Giles
Academic advisor for the Department of Human Development, Giles supports a growing population of undergraduate students through holistic, student-centered advising. In 2025, he advanced recruitment and retention efforts by leading a cross-campus initiative that contributed to increased enrollment. Aiding student engagement, Giles advises the Human Development Club. He also oversees the training and coordination of student ambassadors, expanding departmental impact in recruitment and outreach; and serves as co-chair of both the Marketing and Recruitment Committee and the Advising Committee. He is committed to building strong cross-campus partnerships, integrating career development into advising, enhancing the student experience, and supporting academic success.
CAHNRS For All Sprout Ribbon Award: Clark County Extension
Membership: Chantal Krystiniak, Kristine Perry, Sara Peitzmeier, Ringo Nickel, Erika Johnson, Missy McElprang, Phoebe Jud, Annette Vary-Getty, Justin O’Dea, Angela Shields, Stacey Tigner-Loy, Scotty Parrish, Terry Koper, Hanna McDougall, Kyle Bouchard, Christine Anderson.
Clark County Extension staff and faculty work collaboratively to advance opportunity, belonging, and access across all programs, recognizing that meaningful community impact comes from shared responsibility and intentional action. The Clark County CAHNRS For All Committee supports this work by fostering inclusive practices, encouraging staff learning, and helping integrate equity-minded approaches into program design and delivery. Faculty and staff align efforts to reduce barriers and expand access to resources and experiences.
R.M. Wade Award for Excellence in Teaching: Christopher Clarke
Assistant professor in the School of Economic Sciences, Clarke brings knowledge about our complex economy to the classroom and the public. Since 2021, he began an educational Economics channel on TikTok. Since then, he has garnered over 175,000 followers across social media platforms. He received WSU’s Oaks Academic Technology Award in 2024. He creates long-form videos with YouTube’s “Business Explains the World” with over 4 million views in the last year alone and regularly discusses the economy with major media outlets such as WIRED, CNN, WSJ, and Washington Post.
Early Career Excellence Award: Michael Phelps
Assistant professor in the Department of Animal Sciences, Phelps integrates functional genomics, genetic engineering, and AI to address major sustainability challenges facing aquaculture and fisheries. The Phelps laboratory investigates the molecular physiology of aquatic organisms, emphasizing the genetic and cellular mechanisms that regulate growth, reproduction, and environmental stress responses in Pacific salmon species. Dr. Phelps leads efforts to translate basic science into biotechnologies that can strengthen salmon conservation, fisheries management, and produce a resilient and productive salmonid aquaculture industry.
Land Grant Mission Award: David Crowder
Crowder is a professor of entomology and Director of WSU’s Decision Aid Systems (DAS), who uses experiments and models to study the factors affecting insect populations in agricultural ecosystems. As director of DAS, he coordinates regional studies of insect pests and invaders. He then leverages this information with weather data to guide management through a system used by over 95% of Washington tree fruit and potato industries. His prolific team has put out 165 peer-reviewed publications, 20 extension bulletins, and 10 book chapters. Crowder also teaches two of the largest graduate classes at WSU: Experimental Design and Statistics and Science Writing.
Faculty Excellence in Extension Award: Karina Gallardo
Gallardo is professor and Extension specialist in the School of Economic Sciences, based at the Puyallup Research and Extension Center and affiliated with the Center for Precision and Automated Agricultural Systems. Her research focuses on specialty crop economics, integrating consumer behavior, technology adoption, labor markets, and applied policy analysis. Her work examines consumer acceptance of novel breeding technologies, economics of automation and mechanization, integrated pest and disease management, and farm labor dynamics. Through competitive grants and industry partnerships, she develops economic analyses and decision-support tools that inform growers, agribusiness stakeholders, and policymakers.
Faculty Excellence in Research Award: Mike Pumphrey
Professor in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Pumphrey leads the spring wheat breeding and genetics program, which focuses on the development of high-quality spring wheat varieties for diverse Washington production environments. Germplasm enhancement, application of genomics information and technology, and appropriate breeding and selection schemes are integrated to strengthen long-term variety development efforts and accelerate genetic gain. As a teacher, Pumphrey strives to connect real-world examples and the latest technology with fundamental concepts and principles in crop improvement. He also draws heavily on his role as an applied plant breeder that continues to be intimately involved in production agriculture.
Faculty Administrator Award: John Stark
Professor of Ecotoxicology and Entomology and a member of the Department of Entomology, Stark helped found the Washington Stormwater Center in 2010 and has been the sole director of the center since its inception. His research explores protection of endangered species and ecological risk assessment of pollutants with particular emphasis on the effects of pollutants on salmon and their food. He has published over 145 peer-reviewed papers in scientific journals, numerous book chapters, and a book on ecological risk assessment. Stark is a member of the Washington State Academy of Sciences and Fellow of the Entomological Society of America. He is also past director, for nine years, of the WSU Puyallup Research and Extension Center.
Team Interdisciplinary Award: WSU Climate Stewards
The WSU Climate Stewards Team—Patricia Townsend, Sarah Bergquist, Heather Vitiaz, and Diane Smith— developed and delivered a first-of-its-kind, Washington-specific Climate Stewards Certificate Program that prepares community members to understand, communicate, and act on climate challenges. United by a shared commitment to strengthening Washington’s climate resilience, this collaboration across the WSU Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources and Youth and Family Program Units adapted a curriculum to reflect Washington’s ecosystems, agricultural systems, and community contexts. Delivered through WSU Extension in Skagit and Island Counties, Climate Stewards prepared community members with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to support climate‑informed decision‑making and foster resilient, equitable communities across Washington.
Cashup Davis Family Endowed Dean’s Choice Excellence Award: Lisa Johnson
Johnson has served as Assistant to the CAHNRS Dean since 2013 and brings more than 31 years of dedicated service to WSU. In her current role, she works collaboratively with the college’s leadership team to implement the Dean’s vision, helping ensure alignment with strategic priorities while advancing key initiatives. She serves as a trusted intermediary, providing feedback, coordination, and guidance that supports timely decision-making and progress across the organization.
Cashup Davis Family Endowed Dean’s Choice Excellence Award: Seth Truscott
Public Relations and Communications Coordinator for the college, Seth Truscott is a WSU alumnus who has served in a communications role for CAHNRS since 2015. He helps share the achievements and impacts of CAHNRS faculty, staff, students, and alumni across a range of channels and media, and can often be found taking photos at college events, classrooms, labs, and field days. His news releases have inspired stories about CAHNRS discovery and service in media around the world.